A Wrench in the Gears

OOC: Preferably I'd like to create an incendiary bomb of some kind to burn down his office. Fire should scare him more than bullets, and even if he lives if his club burns down it should be a blow to him.

... Yes, I think you might be on to something there. Ok, future reference, just uncheck the 'botches' box, and it won't subtract for 1s. I thought sure that was one of the rules, but after looking a few times, I just can't find it.

Six is a very good score for this kind of thing, but it doesn't necessarily translate to damage. It translates to control. Exactly what do you want your explosives to do? Put on a good show without getting out of hand? Knock out a few key support beams? Blow a hole in the wall, with or without a lot of collateral damage?

OOC: Not to be argumentative, but I think maybe that dice roller is working with oWoD rules? I checked the house rules again just to be sure you didn't change any of this, but I can't dramatically fail because I'm not reduced to a chance roll. Also, in nWoD, 1's don't cancel out successes as far as I'm aware. I checked the book to be sure, and dramatic failures are described on page 125 of the core book, and I didn't see it mentioned anywhere that 1's cancel successes either.

So really I should get six successes instead of four... right?

OC: Penny, let's have three (or less) Intel + Crafts + specialty rolls. You can buff those pools by 3 with willpower points if you want. The results will determine the effectiveness of the bombs you can whip up. If you get a dramatic failure on any of them... bad things will happen. That's why three rolls is a maximum, not mandatory. If you decline, I'll have an NPC do it. They won't be able to botch, but their pool is much smaller, so it's your choice.

And I like your idea of Sophie coming with you to get you inside the club. So aside from all that, if there's anything else you'd like to do here, have at it. If not, let me know, and I'll get a new thread going for you at club SINless.

OOC: That's cool. But I want to have Gauge talk to Gwen a bit on the way to Elysium. If you want, I can post the thread.

Without missing a beat, as soon as you suggested buying Gwen a slinky dress, Ian cut in. "I can chip in for that!" Gwen gave him a look. Just.. a look, there's not other way to describe it. "I can hurt you", at which point Ian nervously laughed at his own joke and went back to listening to the conversation.

"Gauge, I mostly run guns. You'd have just as easy a time getting a sword as I would, and they don't come cheap. Do you even know how to use one of those things?"

While you two discussed your immediate plans, Erwin focused on Penny while Ian headed off to find whoever's radio kept running the same track. "Gwen, send Sophie back here. She might come in handy. Penny, he's as paranoid as you'd expect. We don't want feds getting in the way, but we do want enough of a flair to scare him more than bullets. Come look at the lab." He walked you over to an area designated for putting together explosives and electornic detonators. You wouldn't dream of better equipment for the job.

Meanwhile, Gwen was already filling a duffel bag of her own and talking to Gauge on the way back to his car. "Sophie, go talk to Erwin, I think he's got a job for you." The girl immediately perked up. She shot Gauge a glance, and hopped out of the car.


OC: With Penny's player away for the moment, her character will be here pre-making some fireworks. Gauge, if there's nothing else, we'll move you on to Elysium.

When the two clowns looked like they doubted me I snapped back up. "Don't give me that stupid ass look. Celeste. Five eight or so, black hair, has a thing for spiders and spiderwebs. Yea. Before you go and give each other significant glances like that, why don't you get it in your head that so far I waltzed right in here like I own the place, got the nicest set of wheels, got that asshole who none of you can stand to actually give a damn and try to help out, formulated a plan to take down the Sheriff, and more or less have accomplished everything that it took all of you to do. I did it by myself, under everyone's radar, too." I was getting a little sick of slow learners. "I'm not the bad guy. Well, I am, but I mean I'm not your bad guy. Actually, I am your bad guy. What I mean is, I'm not your enemy. I'm the Carthian who is going to win this skirmish. I'm the difference maker. I am that asshole that the Invictus won't see coming no matter how hard they look. I didn't come here because I wanted to help you take the city. I came here because I am taking the city and then giving it to the Carthians because I like you. I'm going to give it to those who put respect and dignity where it needs to be. I'm the kind of leader who doesn't use diplomacy in a word where all it does is muck things up." With a bit of a salute and a smirk, I lit up one of my prerolled blunts with a zippo I had in my pocket. This was some of Nugget's good stuff, and anyone who knew Nugget knew exactly what Nugget's good stuff is. "I've been called a lot of things, but failure, incompitent, and quitter have not ever been one of those things. I'm here now because I think we can change things just enough to make it better for us. Us being all of us. Soon, we will have something we've all only dreamed about, a city of our own."

While pocketing the Zippo again, I looked at Gwen since she seemed to be taking me seriously. I took another long inhale from the blunt, careful to spin it so it didn't boat. "I'm going to need a sword. A Wakazashi, I think. And some Flashbangs. I'm also going to need you to come along. Someone will need to be there to pull me off him, or to shoot him if he somehow gets the drop on me. It needs to be someone strong, and someone who will look good in a slinky dress." I took another long hit from my blunt. "I have money. I can buy you a slinky dress."

But then there was that sound again. It was a cross between goth and techno and it sucked. I cringed. I recognized it almost immediately. I had to cring again. Yes. My ears hurt because of that that repeating, horrible audio of the wrestler Gangrel's themesong playing in the background. It didn't help at all that in addition to the bad quality, it was the themesong of a gay wrestler who at his best, sucked donkey asshole. "What is up with the themesong? I mean, I get themesongs, but god that thing is constantly repeating. It's like the fourth time I've heard it now. Seriously? How about something good, like some Marylin Manson... Mobscene is a good example. Or Theme to a Fake Revolution by Powerman 5000. I know, The Hand That Feeds by Nine Inch Nails is awesome too." I sighed. "Then again, anything that repeats and skips into silences less then ten seconds into it is bad."

Penny didn't know who this Crow character was, but it was good that something was finally decided on. She was getting tired of standing around. She looked over at the girl in the Ferrari, feeling a little sorry for her. She probably had no idea that this whole place almost got blown up over her. But if Penny was supposed to knock off some guy in a ritzy upper class club, maybe Sophie could be of some use getting inside, or getting the guy out.

"Yeah I can do that. I don't think I ever met this Crow guy though. You say he's going to be at SINless? Does he run the place or something? If he does I can just rig something up in his office and blow it when he gets there. Or else gun him down when he leaves."

You got some interesting looks when you claimed you faced off with Celeste twice. Erwin and Ian looked at each other for a moment, and Gwen stayed focused on you, seemingly the only one in the room who really believed you. No one was prepared to argue it though, and Erwin just moved on. "Officially the duels only work for other Invictus. But if you challenged him in a public place, he might accept anyway. They'd probably just take you in for murder if you won.

If you want to jump him, wait until he enters Elysium. Each night he reports to the Regent for a brief update on whatever he's working on. Then we can get another Invictus to call for help from the other Knights, and almost guarantee that the Sheriff is left alone after that.

Penny, either way, things go smoother if we separate them. So how would you like to make some other Invictus panic while Gauge handles the Sheriff at Elysium? Someone on the other side of town. You can take Crow at SINless, and I'll take Cross at the casino. Gwen can set you two up with whatever you need, and Ian will hold things together while I'm gone."